Delivery
Online
Medical Coding Specialist, Professional Certificate
Program Overview
Boost Your Career With Your Medical Coding Specialist Certificate
Looking for a quick, cost-effective way to boost your career? Or are you ready to begin a new professional career path?
In just four months, you can pursue a new career, re-enter the workforce or refresh and broaden your current skills. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Medical Coding Specialist certificate program — offered through 100% online live learning — prepares you for a career as a medical coding specialist.
Program Contact
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UNC Charlotte has partnered with the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) to offer our Medical Coding Specialist certification curriculum. Topics include:
- Introduction to Medical Coding / Health Care Information Documentation
- Diagnosis Coding
- Procedure Coding
- Coding Guidelines and Processes for Out-Patient / In-Patient Services
“The fact that UNC Charlotte’s Medical Coding Specialist certification program was developed under the guidelines of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) sold me. The program included instructors who are currently working in the field and have years of experience. They made it easy to learn and understand the medical coding process. I passed my AAPC certification on the first try. I highly recommend this program to those who are wanting to pursue a career in medical coding.”
Lenore Rebolledo, Medical Coding Specialist Certificate Program, ’19
Course Details
This certificate program is offered live online with a Monday/Wednesday schedule from 6-8 p.m.
This is an exam and attendance based certificate program and participants must earn a grade of 70% or above on all exams and meet minimum attendance requirements to earn the certificate.
On completion of the program, students will:
- Have the ability to analyze health records and assign codes for diseases, diagnosis, and procedures
- Have the ability to abstract key information from health records for reimbursement, statistics, and research purposes
- Have an understanding of the ethical and professional standards expected of Medical Coding professionals
- Have an understanding of the importance of maintaining a high level of accuracy and accountability when performing medical coding documentation
- Understanding of processes and procedures of medical record administration and documentation
- Have the necessary education that will qualify students to sit for numerous national certification exams
Admissions
Prerequisites for the Medical Coding Specialist Certificate include:
- High School Diploma (or equivalent) is required
- Computer Applications: Participants should be able to operate basic computer applications along with access to high speed internet.
- Meet or exceed technical specifications
Although not required, it is highly recommend that participants have experience/background (educational or professional) with medical terminology. Prospective students lacking a medical terminology background should consider enrolling and completing an online self-paced course on Medical Terminology prior to entering the certificate program.
What Can You Do With Your Medical Coding Specialist Certification?
UNC Charlotte Medical Coding Specialist Certificate earners have obtained job titles such as:
- Medical billing and coding specialist
- Office manager
- Administrative specialist
- Medical secretary
- Clinical research coordinator
- Project manager
Our certificate earners work for companies and organizations such as:
- MetLife
- Atrium Health
- Novant Health
- Emory Healthcare
- Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates (CEENTA)
Pursue a career with strong earnings expectations
Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics research, collects job and salary data from UNC Charlotte graduates. Lightcast reports that the average estimated salary for selected alumni of the Medical Coding Specialist Certificate program is $65,500.
Why UNC Charlotte?
Why Earn Your Medical Coding Specialist Certificate Online From UNC Charlotte?
Choosing UNC Charlotte’s online Medical Coding Specialist Certificate program offers you many advantages, including:
- Earn your certificate in just four months. No formal application process or prerequisites required—just registration.
- Learn from experienced faculty experts. Our accomplished instructors offer extensive experience and insights in medical coding, which they bring to the online classroom.
- Apply for our medical coding program scholarship. The Anne Spychala Family Charitable Foundation Scholarship for Women in Continuing Education empowers individuals to accomplish their goals.
Program Cost
The Medical Coding Specialist Certificate costs $2,400 or take advantage of our installment payment option.
With just a $500 deposit, our new installment payment option allows you to pay for your program while you’re earning your Medical Coding Specialist Certificate. The remainder of the cost is broken up into five payments to offer you maximum flexibility and convenience.
Additional Information
What does a medical coder do?
Properly trained medical coding specialists perform the coding tasks that support the processing of medical billings, implement proper reporting of transactions, and support secure health information management. Medical coders assign a code to each diagnosis and procedure by using classification systems software. The classification system determines the amount for which healthcare providers will be reimbursed if the patient is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or other insurance programs using the system. Coders may use several coding systems, such as those required for ambulatory settings, physician offices, or long-term care.
Do medical coders need certification?
The healthcare environment operates on the basis of professionalism, precision and dedication to patient welfare. Medical coding certification may be required for many jobs. Earning a certification such as the Certified Professional Coder designation establishes a medical coder as a responsible professional who has undergone a study and assessment program to validate their credentials.
Why should I choose this program?
The program is designed to provide the necessary training to produce highly valued medical coding professionals. For those currently in the medical coding field, the program will provide the knowledge to become a more effective and productive coding specialist.
Who should attend?
This program is ideal for individuals interested in pursuing medical coding employment, changing job skills to move into a medical office records environment, or pursuing the skills necessary to become a Certified Medical Coder.